OpenAI’s decision to postpone its flagship investment in Britain is a wake-up call for the Government.

The government’s multibillion-pound plan to turn Britain into an

artificial intelligence “superpower” was dealt a blow on Thursday when
OpenAI halted its Stargate UK data centre project, citing Britain’s high
energy costs and regulatory environment. The ChatGPT maker announced the
Stargate UK project in partnership with Nvidia and Nscale last September,
to coincide with President Trump’s visit to Britain. It was part of a
£31 billion investment package from American tech firms, including £22
billion from Microsoft and a £5 billion commitment from Google. OpenAI did
not disclose the size of its investment.

 Times 9th April 2026 

 https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/openai-pauses-stargate-uk-investment-over-high-energy-costs-jp7b2fvhm

 Guardian 9th April 2026 

 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/09/openai-pulls-out-of-landmark-31bn-uk-investment

 OpenAI’s decision to postpone its flagship investment in Britain is a
wake-up call for the Government. A spokesman for the US company stated that
the project would move ahead “when the right conditions, such as
regulation and the cost of energy, enable long-term infrastructure
investment”. It is hard to think of a more quietly telling dismissal of
this Government’s approach to industrial strategy.

 Telegraph 10th April 2026 

 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2026/04/10/ai-alarms-bells-should-be-ringing-in-downing-street/